Chapter Text
Dabi felt like shit.
Nothing happened. No fight or anything with Hawks, they’d long since learned how to go about disputes, avoiding raised voices or tense nights of sleep for a few years now. He had a roof over his head, never having to worry about heat stroke in summer, and food on his table every night that tasted good because he’d been given the opportunity and resources to make it so.
His problem was that he started his day feeling horrible.
His brain had a harder time coming online than usual and everything seemed different… Off. Mentally, everything was out of focus. Usually he could take note of his apartment, but that morning he was occupied by his limited thoughts, limited thoughts he was having trouble tracking, everything else fading into the background.
He was restless, the same way he used to feel while homeless when a new day started. Every few days he had to find a new place to sleep because if he found that spot, someone else would too eventually. It was best to find a new one as soon as possible, especially since he wasn’t looking for a fight.
But his miserable days of living on the streets were over. It was stupid. He had a good life, he shouldn’t be having shitty days anymore. Customers annoyed him more than usual. His manager looked peeved at his normal nothing-to-write-home-about service becoming near clinical.
What do you want?
What drinks?
What else?
Here’s your order.
He went through the motions, letting the routine drag him through the day, waiting to get off. He looked forward to getting home, to relaxing, to talking with Hawks, to eating food. But, once he got home and changed out of work clothes, the problem from morning bled into night. Nothing was relaxing. Everything he wanted to tell Hawks slipped his mind or wasn’t interesting anymore. Cooking was too complicated and took too long. He wanted sleep.
He only showed up to work for something to do, not out of a need for money. It was tiring. Although it had been a bit since he got a better solution to the staples and walking around with open wounds, his proper grafts still hurt. It didn’t help that he forgot to lotion them and that his joints were killing him. The throbbing aches were pushing his limit, job be damned.
A new customer sat in his area. Familiar golden hair with a black mustache and an unmatching soul patch above whatever Hawks called those three little hairs on his chin. He wore tiny black circle glasses and a shirt saying not Hawks , all of which he completely ignored, internally throwing his head back in a groan.
Of all the days his boyfriend had chosen to make an ass of himself.
Hawks wiggled his eyebrows at him, and he was stopped from smacking the platter against his head by Clingy Coworker 2’s voice.
“Ooh, somebody has a not so secret admirer,” she sang, finishing off with a hyena’s cackle.
“No, I don’t,” he spat, then glared at her, hoping the sizzling of his palms was enough of a repellant.
“Hawks is literally watching you right now.”
He turned around, and sure enough, there Hawks was smirking at him, tiling his stupid, tiny sunglasses down as if he was going to nudge a just as douched up friend and make a comment about all the hot chicks.
Hawks sucked at disguises. He would be horrible undercover, and it was a shame because all he needed was to shrink his wings, cover his markings, and part his hair in the middle and most people would glaze right over him. It pained him that he had to pretend it was a good one in any way shape or form.
“That isn’t Hawks. Hawks’s wings aren’t such puny things.”
Her grin turned predatory. "How would you know, Dabi? Obsessed much?"
Mayday, plan failed.
She ended up invading his personal space even more, never letting up about his supposed crush on Hawks. Jokes on her, they had 2 cats together. They were practically bound for life, or more accurately however long Wiggle lasted.
She kept jumping all around him, trying to push him over to Hawks. He thought his attempts at getting her to fuck off finally worked when she suddenly retreated to babble with her twin annoying coworker. The sound of Hawks obnoxiously calling the waiter had him rolling his eyes and not hearing the approaching footsteps.
“Not enjoying work today?”
Kurogiri’s words scared the shit out of him, making him catch himself on the nearest surface.
“It's a job, who enjoys it?” he said, straightening himself.
It seemed like he was being judged until Kurogiri recognized Hawks no doubt snickering and staring at his ass again. His whole demeanor changed and became protective. Woe as he was to admit it, Shigaraki was the only one who understood workplace relations, avoiding any personal connections.
“I've heard the things he's said to you. Would you like me to ask him to leave?”
He waved him off. “I don’t care, he can’t do anything to me.”
His point was not helped by Clingy Coworker 1 and 2 oohing and aahing in the background, gossiping over his potential status as Hawks’s ‘crush’. Hawks thought the situation was especially humorous, and with every show of amusement he was tipping closer and closer towards being banished to the couch tonight.
Downy feathers subtly ruffled his hair, twining through it, poking him as tiny hi’ and hello’s. There were a few particular jabs that translated to a call for attention.
“That's an interesting way of wording it. Has he tried to?” Kurogiri probed, oblivious to the feathered harassment.
Hawks heard this conversation, his freaky quirk and all that. Why was he still staring when he was being accused of being a pervert? Kurogiri remained unsatisfied, going still like a robot powering down, managing to do it well despite all his whispiness. He kept staring at Dabi too, and Dabi fumbled. Did he glare back?
He came back to life after observing him for a few minutes with a renewed flicker of his mist, walking beside Dabi.
"How would you like to work behind the bar?" he offered, suddenly.
He picked up the plates from his table that just left. Bussing duty wasn’t his, but he hoped it would make his boss fuck off. This ‘protective’ act was unwanted and unnecessary.
“What?!” Clingy Coworker 2 shouted. “I’ve been trying to work the bar for, like, ever!”
Her anger was expertly glossed over. “Not until you’re 20.” Kurogiri redirected her by her shoulder towards Hawks. “Now go, we have a paying guest.” She was off in a jiffy, not without an attitude, though.
Walking straight into a spontaneously appearing portal, he was deposited behind the bar with Kurogiri already explaining the basics and showing him where the alcohol was - bad idea he’s so pocketing some of the fancy stuff - despite his lack of agreeing.
He was only free once the tiny feathers stopped messing with him, signaling Hawks departure, then Kurogiri let up.